Ronit J

Part 1 was a horror slasher black comedy, while Part 2 added a science fiction layer to explain the time loop phenomenon.

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS

Synopsis:

Happy Death Day (2017)

Caught in a bizarre and terrifying time warp, college student Tree finds herself repeatedly reliving the day of her murder, ultimately realizing that she must identify the killer and the reason for her death before her chances of survival run out.

Happy Death Day 2U (2019)

Collegian Tree Gelbman wakes up in horror to learn that she’s stuck in a parallel universe. Her boyfriend Carter is now with someone else, and her friends and fellow students seem to be completely different versions of themselves. When Tree discovers that Carter’s roommate has been altering time, she finds herself once again the target of a masked killer. When the psychopath starts to go after her inner circle, Tree soon realizes that she must die over and over again to save everyone.

Happy Death Day (2017) & Happy Death Day 2U (2019) Review:

I first discovered this duology years ago, but never got a chance to watch it because it was never available. Then, last month, I saw it listed on JioHotstar, and I added them both to my watchlist. I love genre films, and I genuinely feel like the industry’s hard shift away from them is a huge cultural loss for us.

So anyway, I watched both of these movies over the weekend (with Sister Midnight thrown in the mix). I was originally going to review both separately, but after watching them, I feel it’s best to review them together. Mostly because the good and bad in both are very similar. Both movies feature Jessica Rothe as Tree Gelbman, a sorority sister who’s stuck in a time loop that resets every time she’s murdered by a serial killer. To break the loop, she has to solve her own murder.

I’ll admit, I didn’t expect a plot or strong characters. I went in just for the mindless action. But, did the film satisfy my itch? Read and find out…

Happy Death Day (2017) Review

Like Groundhog Day, Happy Death Day follows a very trope-y plot. Tree (Jessica Rothe) wakes up on her birthday hungover. She’s a terrible person, and a sorority sister. As she goes by her day, she’s awful to a lot of people, including those who are kind and helpful. That is until she gets murdered on her way to her birthday party. Cut to her waking up on the same day again. And again. And again.

Like classic time loop films, Happy Death Day is a story that’s really about self-reflection, growth, and becoming a better version of yourself. It’s only when Tree breaks away from her toxic patterns that she starts making real progress in breaking the time loop. And in the end, she manages to become a better person, whilst also solving her own murder. From the quirky time loop montage, to the internal growth and evolution, Happy Death Day delivers a pretty entertaining black comedy slasher film.

While the visuals, characters, treatment, or even music don’t stand out in any significant way, all of them do just the right amount of work to make this film an enjoyable watch. Many of the jokes land perfectly, and all the emotional notes ring sincerely. The film isn’t a great masterpiece, but it is a light weekend watch for those days when you want to just sit back and enjoy a simple entertainer.

The only thing I did not like about the movie was the killer’s motive and methods. They were so comically convoluted that they felt fully idiotic.

Happy Death Day 2U (2019) Review

A good and bad sequel at once, Happy Death Day 2U delivers many of the original’s great moments. It’s really interesting to see how much Tree has changed because of her experience. It’s also super intriguing to identify everything that’s different in this reality. From interpersonal relationships to Tree’s life with her mother still being alive, this reality is just perfect enough for her to not want to leave. And yet, being the evolved person she is after the first movie’s events, she does the right thing. Plus, she gets beautiful moments with her mother, which I feel she has earned after everything she’s been through.

However, the sequel has more problems than the first. Particularly, the sci-fi aspects of the film. The attempt to explain the time loop with very half-baked science talk ends up feeling disingenuous. The film spends way too long exploring things that didn’t need an explanation, leaving many logical holes in the plot and dialogue. Carter’s attitude towards Tree particularly feels disjointed owing to the minor differences.

Plus, the murder plot is somehow even more convoluted and idiotic than the first film. So basically, the film does all the humour and some character moments right, but doubles down on the problems, making it a still enjoyable if not a very flawed watch.

Happy Death Day (2017) & Happy Death Day 2U (2019) Ending Explained (SPOILERS)

Happy Death Day (2017): Lori turns out to be the real killer, who sets Tombs loose because she’s jealous of Tree and Gregory’s relationship. Lori figures it out because of the poisoned cupcake. She lives the whole day as best she can (perfect use of the time loop genre tropes) and kills Tori to break the loop. She’s acquitted (inexplicably) and ends up dating Carter, hoping that her life is going to be better as she’s now trying her best to be a better person.

This one actually did a good job of telling a life-changing time loop film like Groundhog Day. Only the murder motive and method felt idiotically complicated. Still, the film was overall entertaining enough to watch.

Happy Death Day 2U (2019): Tree figures out that the real killer in this reality is Gregory. But, it’s actually Gregory who’s working with his wife. After she shoots Lori, Gregory shoots his wife to be rid of her. Tree outsmarts him and kills him, finally breaking the death loop. After ensuring that Lori is safe, Tree rushes back to the reactor and ends up in her original timeline. Later on, the main cast are contacted by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which has acquired Ryan’s reactor and wants to experiment. Tree volunteers Danielle to live in a time loop in order to punish her for her bad behaviour across realities.

While Happy Death Day 2U got a lot of things right, the bad in this film is a worse example of the bad from the first, making the overall plot too convoluted. This one, I’d say, is very much skippable. Although, if you loved the first part, you might find this one an average enough sequel.

Are these films worth watching?

Depends. Both movies are great examples of genre films, and yet, both movies suffer from a seriously idiotic murder motive and plan. Plus, the overcomplication with sci-fi in the second part ends up muddling everything that part 1 got right.

So in the end, it’s really your call. They are enjoyable enough to watch at least once. Maybe skip part 2, and stick to part 1.

In Conclusion:

Happy Death Day (2017) & Happy Death Day 2U (2019) are great genre films that get the tropes right, but overcomplicate the murders to the point that the films feel stupid. Either way, they were enjoyable and entertaining enough to give it a shot. At least part 1 is.

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